Holy Empire of Sorea
The Holy Empire of Sorea is one of the older Supreme Powers in the Nations World, lead by Supreme Holy Emperor Joey. It was the founding member of the famed Sorean League, a member of the Jedi Order and Non-Aligned International. It is also home to the largest population of followers of Sors, the faith from which the Holy Empire gets its name. The Holy Empire prides itself in staying neutral in the long-running ideological conflict between the left and right. Geography The Holy Empire is located in a very remote part of the Universe, towards the temporal northeast of the Core. It is fairly spread out, comprising of many planets across hundreds of start systems. The are some small Sorean holdings on Earth, including Angola, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Izanian Islands. Its capital, Terra Altaria Sorea , is located in a relatively remote system in the Holy Empire, composed of 5 planets, with its Wisp being the only other habitable planet. Members and Ethnic Groups The Holy Empire of Sorea is actually comprised of many smaller states that were once autonomous. All of these states willingly joined the Holy Empire at one point or another. Dating back to the Grand Alliance, the original members were the Altarian Republic, the Torian Confederation, the Republic of Empress Teta, and the Vedran Commonwealth. The following is a list of nations or groups joining the Holy Empire up to the present day: *United Federation *Sorean Republic *Krynn Consulate *Iconian Republic *Scottalingan Republic *Carinoid Federation *Paulos Empire *Sihnonian Alliance *Terranian Republic *Xindi Federation *Ori Empire *Taur'ri Federation *Ihantalan Republic* *Seceded from the Holy Empire in 2010 History Foundation The origins of the Holy Empire of Sorea are quite well preserved. The Empire originates from the Grand Alliance. This ancient alliance composed of the Altarian Republic, the Torian Confederation, the Republic of Empress Teta, and the Vedran Commonwealth. The capital of this alliance was Altaria, which later became Terra Altaria Sorea, center of the Sorean Empire. The Grand Alliance established the framework that would later become the Holy Empire of Sorea. The idea of a "Sorean" Empire actually came from outside of the Grand Alliance. A northern neighbor of the alliance, the Arcean Empire, was experiencing a massive civil war. It had been raging for nearly three years and showed no signs of stopping. Then, a very powerful race of insectoids named the Krynn suddenly appeared in the region. The Krynn preached a philosophy known as "The Way." This new idea caught fire on one side of the Arcean Civil War, and that side renamed themselves the Sorean Republic, after their interpretation of "The Way." Sorea coming from Sors, an ancient word for Fate. Ironically, the word Sors was already quite present in the Grand Alliance. Hundreds of years earlier a group of exile Altarians returned to Altaria prophesying about and empire of destiny. These people were called the Advent and referred to their beliefs as Sors Unitas, the "Unifying Fate." The Grand Alliance and Krynn Consulate soon stepped in and provided aid to the fledgling Sorean Republic, ending the Arcean Civil War. Seeking to prevent such a terrible conflict from happening again in their region of space, the Grand Alliance, Sorean Republic, and Krynn Consulate formed the Sorean Federation. Soon the Federation would grow into what could realistically be called an empire. The Paladini Order The Paladini are ancient monastic order dating back to the foundation of the Altarian Republic. In the early days of Altarian civilization, the Paladini left their homeworld Altaria due to the violence taking place between the Altarians and Drath. They established a fortress on the planet Wisp, using its unique saber crystals to create Luxors, plasma weapons similar to the lightsabers of the Jedi. For thousands of years the Paladini served as the protectors of the Altarian Republic. They were among the first Altarians to embrance the Krynn philosophy of "The Way," which would later become Sors. The Sorean League The creation of the Sorean League was perhaps the crowning achievement of the Holy Empire. Founded in the early days of the Sorean Empire, the Sorean League was originally created to provide defense and assistance to smaller nations. However in time it grew to hold massive superpowers as well. The Sorean League was revolutionary in that it broke the ideological barriers that had plagued the Nations World for years. It also created an opportunity for the Holy Empire to expand its alliance, making a name for Sorean diplomacy everywhere. Alliance With Ihantala After a devastating war with Zlost that destroyed its homeworld, the Sorean League nation of Ihantala sought refuge with its Sorean allies. Holy Emperor Joey offered the Ihantalans land on Wisp. President Ethan Anderson accepted the offer and moved his people to share Wisp with the already present Paladini Order. For a time, Sorea and Ihantala had extremely close diplomatic relations, forming the Union of Sorea and Ihantala. However unrest among the Ihantalan population and calls for reform led to the full annexation of Ihantala during the Moiraean Period. The Tau'ri Revolution The Tau'ri Revolution began on the Earth colonies of the Holy Empire. The Tau'ri Liberation Front, a political faction based on Earth, wanted to refocus the Empire on more Earth-like customs and culture. The coup d'etat was relatively bloodless, and the Emperor was allowed to stay in power, although with much less control over the state. The Tau'ri Revolution is generally seen by historians as a left-wing movement. At the time, there was even talk of the Empire joining the Alliance of Communist and Socialist Empires. However, the Tau'ri movement had trouble overcomingSorean traditionalists, a conflict which eventually led to civil war. The Sorean Civil War: Duel of the Fates HOLYEMPIREOFSOREAMAPCIVILWAR.jpg|Sorea at the beginning of the Civil War. HOLYEMPIREOFSOREAMAPCIVILWAR1.jpg HOLYEMPIREOFSOREAMAPCIVILWAR3.jpg HOLYEMPIREOFSOREAMAP3.jpg|The end result of the Civil War. The war is considered to have ended in a truce, however the UAR received several key concessions from the TLF. Many more conservative members of the Sorean military and government were strongly opposed to the reforms of the Tau'ri Liberation Front. Within months of the establishment of the new Tau'ri regime, these traditionalists began to rally their forces in the more conservative northern parts of the Empire, forming the political coalition the United Alliance for Reform (UAR). The UAR and TLF began mobilizing their military forces in anticipation of a stand off. Soon war began. The UAR controlled Terra Altaria Sorea, however the TLF had already focused its stronghold on Tsaritsyn, a colony much closer to Earth. The opening stages of the war involved the Provisional Government, formed around the planet Empress Teta, attempting to negotiating a compromise between the two sides. But a TLF strike at Wisp in an attempt to take the Altaria System and end the stand off ended any hopes of a peaceful resolution to the conflict. UAR forces responded by attempting to take Tsaritsyn, but were defeated by superior TLF forces. The northern front of the war featured the most intense battles. UAR forces attempted to cut TLF holdings in half and seize victory by taking Nova Orilla. The UAR initially struggled to make headway, but slowly began to make progress. Seeing that the TLF was at risk, a fellow Sorean League power, Argentum, sent a massive force to Nova Orilla to aid the TLF. Outraged by this intrusion on Sorean territory, the Emperor called on the Sorean League High Council to punish Argentum. Within days Argentum troops were removed and the UAR offensive continued. The UAR used the intervention by Argentum as a propaganda coup, calling on the people of Sorea to rise up against the TLF who would bring outsiders into the Empire and destroy what it means to be Sorean. With this new wave of support the UAR was able to defeat the TLF in several critical battles, while also securing the support of the Provisional Government. The war ended in compromise, with the Emperor being restored to power UAR taking a commanding role in government. However some TLF reforms were allowed to remain in place and survive to this day. Moiraea: A New Sorea The UAR favored traditional Sorean values, but wanted the Empire to move forward from its past struggles. To that end, the UAR formally changed the name of the the Holy Empire of Sorea to the Holy Empire of Moiraea. The Moirae were the Fates of Greek mythology. The UAR also wanted to increase checks and balances within the government and reorganize the military. The Second Constitution was created to cement the changes. The new UAR regime was much more imperialistic than previous factions. Moiraea made extensive claims on many active colonial worlds, even establishing territories on one WDA world. Moiraea also became more active in the world of alliances and factions. With the fall of the Sorean Restoration, Moiraea became a member of the Jedi Order. Return of the Holy Empire Sorea After a long period of dormancy, the ancient Sors Imperium Party began to challenge the UAR for power. But instead of making a play for power, the SIP made a pact with the UAR, creating the United Sors Imperium Alliance. The USIA created the Third Constitution, returned the Holy Empire to its original Sorean roots, and returned some significant powers to the monarchs. The USIA also directed the Holy Empire to join Non-Aligned International, moving Sorea back to it's traditional neutral stance. Government and Politics Statuti Serviani The Statuti Serviani, meaning "Servants of the Law." are the supreme executors of the law in the Holy Empire. The Statuti Serviani number at 10,000 and are selected by the High Courts every 10 years. They are tasked with ensuring that all branches of government adhere to the constitution and may be authorized by the High Courts to take control the Holy Empire during times of crisis for periods of one year at a time. In many ways, the Statuti Serviani are the highest political and military force in the Holy Empire. Executive Branch Executive Branch Under the third Constitution, the Holy Empire of Sorea is an elective constitutional monarchy. This means that upon the death of a monarch (Emperor & Empress are considered to be one "monarch" so both must pass in order for elections to be held) the nation holds popular elections for the next monarch. Any blood heirs to the monarchs (must be appointed) are required to be on the ballot, as well as any candidates the ruling faction nominates. A Prime Minister and three Triumvirs are appointed by the monarchs and serve as heads of government. They serve for the life of the monarch who appointed them. Judicial Branch The Judicial Branch of the Sorean government takes precedence over the Legislative Branch because of the importance of justice in the philosophy of Sors. The High Courts, of which there are three, are the highest judicial authority in the Holy Empire. The Supreme Court deals with criminal appeals. The Constitutional Court deals with the interpretation of the Constitution. The Grand Council of Orders is a court of philosophical importance, as it contains members of the Holy Empire's five major monastic orders, including the Paladini. Members of the Supreme and Constitutional Courts are appointed by the monarch and serve for life. Members of the Grand Council of Orders are appointed by their respective monastic order and serve for life. Legislative Branch The Legislative Branch is manifested in the Praesidium, which is tri-cameral. It is composed of the Council of Governors, the Intergalactic Senate, and the House of Systems. Senators and Representatives in the Praesidium serve for 10 years and may be re-elected. Governors also serve for 10 years and are elected by their respective provinces. The Praesidium is tasked with levying taxes, regulating international and interprovincial commerce, coining money, making rules for government regulation of the military and economy, regulating the Imperial treasury, and creating uniform laws for the Holy Empire. Armed Forces The Imperial Defense Forces (IDF), as indicated by their name, are designed more for the defense of the Holy Empire than the conquest of foreign lands. In fact, the majority of Sorean expansion has been peaceful. However, the IDF is one of the most highly trained and technologically advanced militaries in the Nations World. Imperial Fleet The Imperial Fleet is the pride of the IDF. Led by the aging but still powerful ''Peacemaker''-class Star Dreadnaughts , the Imperial Fleet is a force capable of extremely long-distance and long-term operations. New additions like the prototype Radiance-class Battleship and the Ori Origin-class Mothership continue to strengthen the Sorean arsenal. One advantage of the Holy Empire is that its diverse members supply a wide range of ships ready for any situation. Smaller ships like the Destra-class Crusader and Tau'ri Daedalus-class Battleship compliment the more massive ships in the fleet. Imperial Ground Forces The Sorean Imperial Ground Forces are armed in much the same way Imperial Storm Troopers are. They wear full body armor and are equipped with blasters based off of the DC-17, used by the Old Republic during the Clone Wars. Various tank models are used, supplemented by tactical walkers based on the AT-HE, also used by the Old Republic during the Clone Wars. Sorean military tactics involve the use of heavy armor supported by moderate amounts of infantry to punch a whole through enemy lines. Imperial Marines The Imperial Marines compliment the Sorean Fleet and are stationed in large numbers on all Sorean battleships, most cruisers, and some frigates. They are equipped in a similar manner to the Ground Forces, except that they are armed with close range blasters for ship-to-ship combat. Imperial Marines are given slightly more training than Ground Forces and are capable of flying many fightercraft. Imperial Guards The Imperial Guards are the guards of the Sorean monarchs. They are the most skilled unit in the Holy Empire outside of the Statuti Serviani and the Paladini Order. Numbering at 10,000, the Guards are based on Terra Altaria Sorea, where they maintain a large headquarters. The Guards are outside the main command structure of the Imperial Defense Forces and are answerable only to the monarchs.